Half to william



(NoModeL) S. BORDEN.

ELECTRIC CONDENSER. No. 260,646. Patnted July 4, 1882.

F|Ea.5. FIE:.4.

WITNESSES:

INVENTDR:

N. FEYERS. PhoXo-Lnhngmpher. Washmglon. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER BORDEN, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOWILLIAM O. WOOD, OF WASHINGTON, D. C.

ELECTRIC CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 260,646, dated July 4,1882,

Application filed June 9, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SPENCER BORDEN, of the city of Fall River, in thecounty of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Electric Condensers; audI do hereby declarethat the following specification, taken in connection with the drawingsfurnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and completedescription thereof.

One object of my invention is to obviate many of the difficulticsattendant upon the discovery and correction of faults (incident tosudden shocks) in the insulating-plates of mica, paraflined paper, orother insulating ma terial known to be suitable for separating thesheets of foil in condensers. Another object is to facilitate thecareful examination of the sheets of foil and insulating material with aminimum of liability ofinjury thereto in handling. Another object is toso far provide against sudden shocks in the charging ofthe' condenser asto greatly reduce the liability of injury to the plates in the condenserfrom such shocks; and, still further, to provide for the separate use ofone portion of a charged condenser Without interfering with othercharged portions thereof. In the attainment of these ends various novelfeatures in construction 0 and arrangement have been. developed, which,after being fully described, will be designated in the several claimshereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an exterior view of a condenserembodying my 5 invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinalsection thereof. Fig. 3 represents insulating-plates and foil sheets aspreferably employed by me. Fig. A is a perspective view of a series offoils and insulating-plate. Fig.

5 represents in vertical section one end of a condenser constructed insections and arranged for the separate connection of each section withthe poles of the condenser in accordance with one feature of myinvention.

The condenser-case A is preferably rectangular in form, and composed ofwood or other good insulating material. At the inner surface of the endsof this box there are heavy conducting-sheets (6 c of block-tin or othergood conductor, constituting the opposite poles of the condenser, and atthe rear side of each (No model sheet there is a plate of wood, I), towhich the conducting sheet or pole is attached. To the rear side of saidplate I) there are attached one or more rubber springs, 0, each providedwith a swiveled set-screw, c, which extends outward through the ends ofthe box and through tapped collars, whereby said conducting sheets orpoles a a may be withdrawn or advanced under a yielding pressure. Theupper ends of the sheets a a are bent at right angles, and projectthrough apertures in the ends of the case, and each sheet at saidprojecting end embraces a coupling-bar, d, on which, at the endsthereof, there are bindingscrews or posts 6 e and ff, by which sundryelectric connections may be made.

Upon the top of the case there are two vertical screw-posts, g g, withwhich electric connections may be made with the apparatussuppliedthrough the condenser, and each of said posts rests upon one endof a plate, h h. These plates, at their opposite ends, have wire tips i2', connected respectively to the screwpostsfj" of the conductin gsheets or poles a a.

In the vertical post 9, there is a horizontal conducting-screw, 7t,having an insulated head and sufficient length of shank to reach thepost y, if desired. Iterm this screw a safetyconnection. Thissafety-connection, instead of being in the form of a screw, may be inthe form of a laterally-swinging curved bar pivoted to one of the posts,so that its outer end will travel in the arc of a circle toward and fromthe opposite post, in which case an insulated finger button or knobshould be provided on said lever, near its outer end, for convenientmanipulation.

As thus far described, let it be supposed that the box or case is filledwith condensingsheets of foil, as ordinarily piled for condensers, andthe two end plates or poles, a a, by their set-screws, properly advancedso as to be in good contact with the projecting ends or tongues of thefoil sheets, one half thereof (alternating with the other sheets of theother half) being in contact with the pole to, and the other haltwithpole a. For charging the coudenser the poles or screw-posts e 0 can beconnected with galvanic battery, inductioncoil, Holtz machine, or anyother suitable dynamo-electric machine, so that one half of the sheetswill be charged positive and the other half negative, or either of saidposts may be thus connected and the opposite post grounded, all in amanner well known.

It is during the charging of condensers that the liability of injury tothe insulating plates or sheets mainly occurs, and I obviate thisliability by means of the safety-connection or conducting-screw Ir, asfollows: Before the charging operation begins this screw electricallyconnects the posts 99, and through them the end plates, at a, are alsoelectrically connected. As soon as the battery or other generator ofelectricity has been applied this conducting-screw, which aii'ords arelieving-circuit, is turned backward slowly, breaking theelectric-connection between the posts and plates, sparks meantime flyingbetween screw and post in the equalization of the opposing currentsuntil the safety-screw has been sufficient-ly retracted to prevent thepassage of the relievingcurrent, whereupon the charging of the condenseris safely continued until completed. As these condensers sometimescontain many hundreds of foil sheets and intermediate insulators, it hasbeen a labor of much consequence to handle each for inspection whenevera fault occurs therein, and the foil being delicate and the insulatingsheets also more or less delicate, they are greatly liable to injure inhandling. The foils and insulators are piled in separate sections orbooks, as indicated in the drawings, Figs. 2 and 4. The foils lof oneseries and the foils l of the other series in each section are providedwith tongues, which project alternately at opposite ends from betweenthe insulatingsheets m, of mica, paraffined paper, or other well-knownsuitable material.

The insulating-sheets m, in accordance with my invention, are puncturednear one edge, as at m, for the passage of silken or other twine,whereby all of said sheets in a section may be connected after themanner of a book, so that they may be laid on edge and carefully butreadily turned sheet by sheet for inspection without the danger ofinjury thereto heretofore incident to handling. The tongues of theseveral sheets of foil in each section are united at one end andcarefully rolled or doubled together into a mass, and preferably wrappedin additional foil. When the several sections or books a are placedwithin the case and the poles at a properly advanced into good contacttherewith, the several sections are combined to co-operate as fully asit they were piled in mass, as heretofore. Whenever a break occurs theelectric connections are detached,the sections may be removed, and eachtested by the usual means until the faulty one D is found. A few extrasections being on hand,

a perfect one may be substituted, the Whole -replaced,and service atonce resumed, leaving the faulty section to be inspected and repaired atleisure. The organization of the condenserfoils and insulating-sheets insections enables me to simultaneously use all of the divisions or anyproportion thereofas, for instance, between each section of thecondenser a thin plate of insulating material, such as hard rubber, maybe inserted, as illustrated at 0, Fig. 5.

Instead of having the end 'plates,a a, for poles, as before described,aproperly-protected vertical rod or bar, 19, of block-tin or othersuitable material, is located outside the case, at the end thereof, andupon the top of said bar there is ahorizontal rod having the screw-postse and f, substantially as before described. Through this bar 1)horizontal screws q, with insulated knobs, are tapped, and each isswiveled at its inner end in a sliding metal block, g, which, at itsinner end, is concaved, forming a seat for properly and smoothlyengaging in electrical contact with the tongues of the foils of thecoincident section a. The opposite end of the case being similarlyprovided, it will be seen that when all of these screws q are turnedinward the bars 19 will occupy precisely the same relation to theirrespective sectional series of foils as the end plates, a and a, in thecondenser, as first described, and that all of said sections may becharged and discharged simultaneously, as before; but it will also beseen that by turning outward the screws g at any one or more sectionsthey may be separated from all the others. With this construction all ofsaid sections may be charged as one, and may be drawn from or exhaustedcollectively or separately, as may in each instance be desirable.

In coupling one or more inactive sections to those already electricallyconnected the safetyscrew may be so adjusted that relief from suddenshock will be afforded, as before described, in connection with thecharging of the condenser. With the sections thus capable of separateconnection, as described, it. a fault occurs in either section, it maybe readilylocated by the usual tests if the screws q of all the sectionsbut one are withdrawn and that section tested, and so on separatelythrough all of them. When the faulty one is thus found it may beuncoupled and left in place and the condenser continued in use at alesser capacity, if desirable, instead of immediately replacing thefaulty with a perfect section.

In the construction of condensers of unusually great capacity I find myimprovements of special value; but they also will be found of practicalimportance in small condensers, especially such as are designedforlaboratory and experimental uses.

I prefer to embody in my condenser all of the features shown anddescribed; but it is obvious that some of them maybe profitably employedseparately from other features.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new==- 1. In an electriccondenser, the combination, with the alternating series of foil sheetsand their insulating-sheets, of posts connected respectively with theopposite poles of the con-- denser, and the safety-connection foraffording a direct relieving-current from one series of foils to theother series, substantially as de scribed, and for the purposesspecified.

2. An electric condenser, ora section thereof, composed ofsheets offoiland alternating sheets of insulating material bound together at oneedge, after the manner of a book, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the foil sheets of a condenser and a caseinclosing' the same, of the end plates or poles controlled by screws forforcing said poles into good contact with said foils and retracting thesame, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the foil sheets of a condenser, and a caseinclosing the same, of the end plates or poles controlled by screwscushioned with reference to said poles or plates, substantially asdescribed, whereby electric contact of poles and foils is maintainedunder a yielding pressure, as set forth.

5. In an electric condenser, the combination of separated sections offoils and insulatingplates, opposite poles common to all of thesections, and separate adjustable electrical connections between eachsection and said poles, substantially as described.

SPENCER BURDEN.

Witnesses:

Gno. O. LATHROP, W. H. DWELLEY, Jr.

